davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
A Plea for the Grassy Road.

"ooio guy u 10" caTueSt WOIuS IN
interccssioa for q patient, venerable
ncighbor of ours and yours, who has
few champions, who suffers in silence,
who is fast becoming discouraged at the
treatment of his thanklcss posterity, and
who thus, year by year, is yielding up
his lola among us. Country people
everywhere among the hills, let Inc in
troducc to you the cold grassy road, the
'mount"in turnpike" the old 'wood
road" the 'lanc"- thus to bcspeak the
aid of the local vocabulary in fixing tho
identity 1 would bring to your mind
for there is an cold Marlborough road'
in every town; if not, then morc's the
pity.
These ancient highways spread like a
net over our New England hills, a net
who's mcshcs arc fast being lost amons
the growth which has sprung up around
them. These old roads arc all akin-cs-
scntially tho same everywhere. Possess
ing in spirit Il common origin, the history
Of one is repeated in all. 1t is the track
OF the pioneer who opened up the priv
llcges we now enjoy; it is the scar of q
hard fought battle; the mark Of courage,
fortitudc and heroic self-sacriicc, the
road our forefathcrs trod, and now in
many instances the last eloquent visible
link between the unworthy present and
noble ancestral memories which should
be kept green. l would turn the eyes
of the GRANT into this forgotten path,
and if os' bic keep it worn by rcvc-
rent fo' tst, IS, and guarded against the
impcndin invasion-that ''improving''
hand Of ''progrcss."
For it is manifest on every hand that
the acquisition Of prosperity among our
country towns is fast crowding out our
rural lanes and ancient roads, tearing up
their venerable landmarks, oblitcrating
their footprints, smoothing away the
mounds, and ploughing up their ashes.
This seems little less than sacrilcgc-the
deplorable fruit of that rage for ''rural
Improvement" which is now the terror
in the air, following in the train of wealth
and prosperity and Il certain ca in the
history of every growing town. Not
but that in it's proper place, where it
pertains and ministers to individual home
comforts, it may be highly proper and
desirable; but when it sweeps the coun,
try not unlike a scourge of l~ocusts, and
at length drives the would be ''country''
pilgrim or native inhabitunt to tho limits
of the township to find IL bit of nature
"unadorned," is it not time to cry halt
-La1pey's .Mala.ine.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
Tho Mon OF '7G.

A visitor to the Continental camp al
Cambridge relates a dialogue which hi
heard between a Captain and one of the
~privatcs under him.
BILL" said the Captain, Ego bring q
pail of water for the men,"
81 shan't," said Bill. 'It's your turn
now, Captain; I got it last time"
A story is told of q company of rifle.
men raised in one of the frontier coun.
ties of Pennsylvania. So many volunteers
applied as to cmbarrass tho leader who
was cnlisting the company, and he drew
on a board with chalk the figure of O
nose of the common size, placed the
board at the distance of $50 yards, and
then declared he would take only those
who could hit tho mark. Over sixty
succeeded. IS. Nicholas.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25

time to wake upw Wake up, indeed
What piling of insult upon injury. A,
though. tho nervous woman ever had
been asleep. There are still two hours
before breakfast, and it isn't mo to
wake up; but of what use to protest.
Fate "llath murdered Sleep" and the
nervous woman, more or less a tempo
rnry wreck. energies from her misery to
wash her face n the "ladies' toilet
room." The DOR is locked, and she
wandcrs back, toothbrush in hand, tc
sit down among strangers while the
proud young porter slows away the
dowDy couch. The nervous woman
waits and waits and waits. The door
remains locked. She takes out her
watch and times the onc% occupant Of the
wash room, numbers Of young men mean
while going to and from their open law
atory. At the end of half an hour the
nervous woman appeals to the proud
young porter, who wrinSs his hands in
despair. 81 dunno what's the matter
with tho women folks, but they jest
drive me wild O. n mornin'. When they
gets into that room they act jest us il
they'd got to heaven. They never want
to como out. They prink, lady, they
prink. Lord knows what they do, for
for they don't look no better when they
como out nor when they go in, but they
jest make Inc crazy, for the others want
to wash themselves, and how can I go
and bang the door aud tell them to quit.
This ones been in an hour, or my name
isn't Jerry"
"This one" appears perfectly serene,
as though she had not been guilty of I'M
warrantablc sclfishness. What has she
been doing? Doing up her back hair
and undoing her curl papcrs-a part of
her toilet that should have been made in
her berth. For utter disregard of other
womcn's comfort commend me to the
average women to be found in ''slecp.
crs." Many time nave 1 conc to a
waysidc breakfast with unwashcd face,
because Of the supreme sclfishncss Of my
sex. And SO sure am I now of cncoun-
tcring it that, when forced to travel ut
night, I secure Il Estate "-Kate
Field.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
4 Deadly Weapon.

In an article Oh the bowie-knilc and
its inventor, Colonel Bowie, the Chicago
Herald tells these stories: During n SEES
sion of the Arkansas Legislature in 1887
the speaker Of the House had occasion TO
call Il member to order. The member
insisted on keeping the floor for the pur-
pose of making an explanation, where
upon MIR. Speaker drew an immense
bowic-knifc and advanced toward the
offending member for the purpose of
bringing him to order. The member
also drew his bowic-knifc, and, rs the
speaker advanced, threw it at him, cx-
pccting to disable him, a feat that he
had performed more than once. Unfor-
tunatciy he missed his aim, and the
knife fell ringing on the floor thirty PAGES
away. The member Strengthened HIM
self in front of his foe, who, advancing
deliberately, Gu him down witk one
dreadful cash, killing him instantly.
The gentleman having thus been called
to order, Mr.. Speaker resumed his scat,
and the louise ad jou:ncd for three days
to attend the funeral. We arc told that
Mr.. Speaker was tried for the murder,
but was acquitted.
Another story that had considerable
crcdcncc Mt che time was that at the bat
tie Of Bucna Vista, a regiment of Missis-
sippians, under the command of Jcffer-
son Davis, received a charge OF Mexican
cavalry in the shape of Il V, with the
open end toward the enemy. The cav
airy, riding into the open end, were first
greeted with a deadly fire from the rifles,
after which the gallant M~lssissippians
| went ut the &c. eaecrs' with their bowie
knives and almos. entirely destroyed
them.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
Penny Educator.

The Sunday school children of America
arc potent factors in building up Chris
tian organizations and benevolent insti-
tutions all over the world, for they are
the ~originators of n penny fund, that is
doing n good work both at homo and
abroad. When the Syrian missionary,
Mrs. Layyah B'rrikat, now lccturing in
this State, was asked how she received
her education, she replied: II was
educated by the pennies Of the little
children in a Philadelphia Sunday
school,"
There could hardly DO a grando
memorial to tho unselish gratiuties of
those children than this living testimony.
After all it is tho little workers who
build the great reefs Of progress
Detroit Free Press.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
CLIPPINGS FOR THE CURIOUS.

The nursery tale of Blue Beard is said
to date back over 400 years.
The only Unitarian churches in the
south arc in Charleston, New Orleans,
and Atlanta.
The bathroom Of Mime. dc Lcsseps
cost So, 600. The exposed faucets and
ppcs are all gold-platcd.
Under the cxtravagant habits Of the
Roman empire Il string Of pearls was
sometimes cast among the people for a
scramble in the public games of the cir
Gus.
A California COW swallowed q stick
twenty inches long and nearly an inch
thick, and in due course of time it
worked its way out of her side without
doing her much damage.
The combined capital of the Roths
childs is estimated ut ST, 900, 900, 600.
Half Of this has been gained within the
last twenty five years, and the whole of
it in scarcely more than n century.
The crysolitc was in old times sup
posed to possess peculiar virtues, and &C.
cording to old chroniclcrs there was (;
crysolitc naturally in the form Of Il
woman which was potent against fasci-
nations of all kinds.
One of the foremost dangers supposed
to hover around the new born infant was
the propensity of witches and fairies tc
8 cal tho most beautiful and we'll favored
children and to leave in their place.
such rs were ugly and stupid. These
were usually called changclings.
The milk product Of PArctz, the rri
vatc estate Of the German Crown Prince,
near Berlin, has been farmcd out. Par.
ctr, once the favoritc summer s%ojourn OF
Queen Louise, the mother Of Empcro,
William, has a model farm connected
with it, whose dairy department. yield.
nearly 1000 quarts of milk per diem.
y black gum tree has been found o.
the eastern shore of Maryland which cx-
udcs tiny streams Of water from it:
branches and twiys. Standing n slort
distance from the tree, so rs to place it
between the spectator and the sun, The
suns rays reflect Il beautiful rainbow
through the mist.
H%o'yrool Day or Holy Cross Day
(Scpt. ~ was instituted by the Roman
Catholic Church, OH account of the re-
covery Of 4 large piece Of tho cross by
the Emperor IIcraclius, after it had
been taken away OH the plundcring Of
Jerusalem b. Chosroes, King Of Persia.
Among the customs associated with thi.
day was that Of going a-nutting.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25

1t is not always gambling nor the haste
to be rich that leads to moral wreck. 1t
is much more often the mere moral rcck-
~lcssncss that is II part of the spirit of this
age. C~ontcntmcnt, obedience, a relig-
ious devotion to ones daily duty, arc no
longer looked upon rs necessary virtues.
On the contrary, these things arc rather
spurned rs incompatible with modern as
%pirLtions. Every mans duty Is to get
into some other mans place, to "risc in
life" and to be, on appear to be, some
thing other than he is. The rich man
must make more riches; the poor man
must have more thar he has earned; VIC
must all be moving about in n state of
constant unrest and discomfort, amid
which the old notions of religion, virtue,
honor, contentcd industry and domestic
simplicity have no chance to exist.
When every man Is reaching out for
something that does not belong to him
whether in position, in wages, in corpor-
ate privileges or public officc-it is no
great wonder that so many take the
shortest way md transfer their employ
rr's money to their W pockets. Phil
ud lphi1 Times.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
I'm q Sleeping Coach.

The happy family of six in one section
IS astir early. The baby would not be a
baby if it did not cry for its breakfast,
and the other children would disgrace
their years did they not crafty a praise
worthy desire for information by pecring
through the nervous woman's curtains,
left Tapping at both ends by the closing
OF the beds on each side; for, of course,
as soon as the passengers get up the
proud young porter puts things t right
with a slam and a bang and a frantic APP
plication of feather dustcr. Rsveling in
his power, the dusky genius Of tho
''sleeper" thrusts a sable hand between
The curtains, after giving them a prelim-
mary shake, and cxclaims: "Lady, it's
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
HyncrbOlfcll.

ADJUST imagine, Prof. Weinbauchl
is so fat that he has been unable to see
his feet for the last ten yearsW
B.-"'Tut, tut! nothing extraordinary
about that. Baumlang, the student, is
so tall that he has always to get on a
step ladder when he wants to take off
his hat"
C.--"Pooh, that is nothing. 1 have q
cousin who is so tall that when he gets
damp feet the 1st of january he begins
to DO troubled with a cold the 28d or
Gath, it takes SO long for the cold to
strike upwards. ~ agdeburger Zeitung.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
Locomotives in Jerusalem.

Locomotives now run into Jerusalem.
The roar Of the engines through tho
street hat once echoed the Crusaders
tread Is Il powerful historical antithcsIs.
Not less striking is the contrast between
the armorcr's chamber, whence stepped
forth, armed cap-a-pie, the knight of the
fourteenth century, and the erecting
shops whence issues the mailed giant of
the nineteenth. Under the medieval
breast-platc the might of muscle; un-
dcrneath the modern boiler plate the
supremacy of mind and both within II
span Of 500 years, that has Mt one end
tho tower Of London and ut the other
the Bald win locomotive works. There
is II strange, vivid analogy between these
two; so vastly dissimilar. Each is tho
cp:tomc of an age, and each g gro
tcsqucly at variance in methods and re-
suits, yet controlled by the same human
motives of dominance and CONQUEST.
But what the crusader conquered and
could not keep, the locomotive holds
in peaceful possession-IoM 1,ude Re.
iClc-
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
Fashion Notes.

jackets grow longer.
Short basqucs are going out OF
favor.
Four-button gloves are the latest
fancy.
Very few dresses arc made Of one
fabric.
Collars of dresses grow higher and
higher.
Green, blue aud "suedc" arc q favoritc
combination.
Plush is the favoritc material for man.
tics, visitcs and pclcr!ncs.
Very small pokcs arc worn by young
women, married or single.
Applique GALLONS trim many hand
some cloth and wool dresses.
Jewelry OF etched, oxidizcd silver and
in Indian design is very fashionable.
Two sets of strings are seen again on
bonnets, ono wide, the other narrow.
Breasts of 1irls form in appropriately
the entire sides of some fancy capotcs.
Grcnadinc covered with heavy cut Jet
beads is used for bodlces and mantlcs.
There is a return of favor to dressed
kid gloves, but uadrcsscd kids arc also
worn.
Beaded cancels hair, in all colors and
white, is used for msatcls and dress trim
ming.
Plain velvet hats and bonnets arc
considered correct wear with drcssy
tailor suits.
Gallons have pendants of every de-
scription-ovoids, cubes, scquins and
spear heads.
Black velvet braces and deep cuffs are
worn with dark green, gray blue and
gray dresses.
Bodices and sleeves arc in endless
variety; but in spite of this, jackets are
more popular than ever.
Three bows of broad stitching are on
the back and four large buttons fastcn
the wrists of the newest gloves.
Diagonal cloth has broad stripes of
watered silk in light contrasting colors,
such as old gold upon a navy blue.
Living Brazilian beetles attached to a
pin and chain, SO that they can wander
about at will over corsagc or hair, are
favored ornaments.
A novelty in serge has a trcllis-liko
effect in frisc plush with conventional
lied flowers in various tints of the
ground color for the fronts Of dresses
with plain drapcry.
Handkcrchiefs have delicatcly tinted
borders, with white embroidery. Hem
stitched handkcrchiefs have the en-
broidery in the middle.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
A Flatterfng Preference.

Two natives of the Marqucsas Islands
have been carried to France. The story
runs that on the voyage, one Of thei,
fellow passengers, fishing for a compli.
mont, asked them which they liked best,
the French or English2
1.-THE English" answered tho man,
smacking his lips, ''thcy are tho fat.
test"
"And a great deal more tender
chimed in the woman, with a grin that
exhibited two rows Of pointed teeth q.
sharp as q crocodilc's.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
C%HILDREN'S COLUMN
What / know.

81 1AhO"s
I know
Where the prettiest flowers grow:
Not the kind that a cool wind kills,
That live III pots on our window-sills,
But blossoms that bloom Of their OWE free
wills,
All golden and speckled, and shaped like bells,
AND filled with sweetest smolls.
And l know
Where the most beautiful breexes blow,
AMI where tho blackberries ripen first,
And how the nying-squirrel's babies are
nursed,
And whom the nut burrs nre ready to burst,
And whore tho birds come to battle and drink
And chirp and chatter; and-somehow- J
MinE
That l know
Where dozens of children ought to 20
I'D like to go with them to show them the
way9,
And make up thoir minds that they'd go and
stay
tFor you can't learn everything in a day.,
And I'm almost sure that perhaps by-and- by
They'd know very nearly Us much as L.
-Amy Leigh, in Young Ieopis.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
LADIES'
How Some Salosyvomon 1.-Two.

A writer in New York paper says:
I know a boarding house over on
Fourteenth street whose upper floor is
entirely given up to salcswomcn from the
neighboring Sixth avenue stores. The
rooms arc low, rcd hot i'll summer and
polar in their winter temperature.
Every oom is packed with beds, leaving
only a narrow lane between them, and Il
little opening in n corner for n dressing
table. The inmates have to keep their
trunks out in the hall. The attendance
Is slovenly, for the servants visit tho top
floor last, and not at all if they happen
to be in IN ill bumor. The place is, in
short, simp:ya shelter from the elements.
Yeti have been told by the landlord
himself that this floor profits him quite
as much rs the choicest in the house, for
each tenant pays 81 II week for bed and
board, and there arc in a couple Of cases
at least six in Il room. They could
hardly be worse lodged outside a tcnc-
mcnt house. How they arc fed 1 know
not.
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25

'Tll make you dance" cried an irate
mother, pursuing her son with a slipper
in hand. "Then," remarked the ~juven.
lie. 1--WE shall have a bawl."
The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25
Monkey Pockets.

INV
l suppose you did not know that
monkeys had any pockets, save those in
the little green coats they sometimes
wear. But that is a mistake; their real
pockets arc in their cheeks. The othc,
evening l travelled in the ncXt compart-
mcnt to n little bccoatcd monkey and his
master.
The little creatures days work was
over, and, pcrchcd up on the sill OF the
carriage window, he produced his supper
from those stowaway pockets of his and
commenced to MUNICH it with enjoy
mcnt. Several times the platform had
TO be cleared OF the girls and boys who
had come to sec the little friend of on
his journey. At length Il porter, whose
heart was warm toward little folks, al
lowed them to slip in and remain.
The officials felt tho attraction on that
window, and the stokcr addressed the
monkey rs ''matc." Even the station
master as he passed cast Il sly glance
toward the monkey, and l cheer was
raised when the train WAS set in motion
and the monkey glidcd away from big
and little spectators
l heard the other day Of a pet monkey
called 1IaG, u creature no larger than IL
guinea-pig, whose master once found in
his check pocket Il steel thimblc, his W
gold ring, a pair Of slccvc-links, a
farthing, u button, y shilling and Il bit
Of candy. Monkeys, I am sorry to say.
arc given to stealing and they use these
pockets to hide the articles which they
have stolen.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-01

It was strange life. Here 1 was living,
eating, sleeping, under the same roof with
family who evidently paid for all l en-
joyed, and yet was as distant from them,
a. far removed, as though l had 6welt at
the farthest corner of the globe l seldom
saw the children; never spoke to Mr.. or
Mrs. Clayton; they never addressed me in
any manner. What explanation they madc
70 their friends for my appearance l know
not was simply passed over as though
they never even dreamed of my existence
But when had been at the Heights nearly
two years, was one day nearly upset by
Maggie bursting into my room in a great
hurry, and crying:
"Ob, miss, the mistress sent me to fetch
ye down to the parlor at once. That OLD
witch, Miss ArTnund, is just come, and no
body looking for her. Put on your best
frocl1 and come down this minute.
Wondering what could have happened to
work such wondrous change, did as Mag
gle commanded, and soon found myself in
the parlor, welcomed by Mas Armand, who
looked many years older than when had
last seen her. She welcomed mo kindly,
however; made me sit by her, and asked me
q multitude Of questions about my health,
my studies, etc, all Of which answered as
well as could. / was astonishcd at the
friendiness shown me by Mrs. Clayton and
Irma, who treated me in every way as q
member of the family. began to think my
troubles were ended; but, alas for human
expectations
Miss Armund stayed two days, during
which time was shown every attention,
At the end Of that time Miss Armund took
her leave, evidently well satisfied with tho
condition of affairs. She had not been gone
an hour when was ANONYMOUSLY showed
back to my old place and there to remain
until her next visit But now saw that it
was some secret which concerned Mrs.
Clayton's welfare that this woman held, and
that accounted for my installmcnt there.
What this secret was l determined sooner
or later to find out
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-01


Law, no, Miss laughed Maggie; mo re-
lation at all Don't you see Mrs. Clayton 10
lady grand and handsome enough for
queen, while Miss Armund looks like fish
womani But they're great friends for all
that she continued, Though l don't see
why Mrs. Clayton makes friends with such
an ugly old piece as Miss Armund is.n
"Are they very richi' asked, 1.-THE Clay
tons meanin
eyes, main, 1 suppose they are,n she
answered; cor rather Mrs. Clayton and the
twins are-the property all belongs to them.
You see Mr.. Clayton, poor man, don't have
much to say; they say he married Mrs. Clay
ton for her money; but it's precious little
good it'll ever do him, I'm thinking"
"Mr. Barrett was very rich then-ho
owned this propertyp' asked.
'No, no, miss, you don't understand
said Maggie, good-naturedly seating herself
on the bed near me. SIT Is like thisi Mrs.
Clayton has had three husbands, young as
she looks. Her first husbands name was
Barrett don't think he was very rich;
never heard that he was; he died when tho
twins were small. Then his widow married
Mr.. Caledon, who was the richest man in all
the country round; he was widower, and
nearly ravin' DISTRACTED, they said, because
he'd lost his only child, a lovely little daugh-
ter; he didn't live long, though-sort o.
mourned himself to death, they said; and
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-09-01

when he died he left all his property to his
wife and her twin boy and girl. The Gale
dons are one Of the richest and oldest fami-
lies in the State, and they set great store by
their manor; they hated it that this property
should go out Of the family, but they could
not help it, seeing Mr.. Coledon left no
heirs. His widow then married Mr. Clay
ton, and tho little fellow you see round is
their son. He is the cutest little fellow; his
pa Just worships him, but Mrs. Clayton
don't seem to set no great store on him; its
her twins she dotes on, although two
crosser, meaner young ones never lived"
"Why, Maggie / said, shocked at her
want of respect for her mistress children.
She laughed carelessly. sits so, any
how; but there's the bell; goodnight, miss"
and she bounded out of the room in an in
slant.
I sat long, that night, enjoying the son
breath of the flowers that came in through
the open window, and pulling my brain
over the strange events that had trans
PRED in the last two days. But was quite
as much in the dark as ever as to the reason
of my being installed at Caledon Heights,
as the place was called and l crept to bed
at last feeling woefully miserable and home
sick.